As you eat s’mores around a campfire, think of Sylvester Graham who campaigned for “roughage” or fiber in the diet. Luckily, his crackers are delicious and can help deliver this all important dietary compound. Fiber is a dietary necessity, and multiple studies have shown that this compound can help lower a person’s risk for serious diseases from colon cancer to high blood sugar.

Dietary fiber means the parts of fruits, vegetables, grains and other plants that the human body cannot quite digest all the way (meat and dairy products do not contain this product). Fiber can either be soluble, meaning it dissolves into water, or insoluble. Most fibrous foods contain both. Soluble fiber soaks up water, like the inside of a kidney bean, and as a result often gives food a mushy texture. Insoluble fiber does not soak up water, like the outside of a popcorn kernel. This makes food rather chewy and in some cases rather tough.

Fiber is important because it affects how food is processed throughout the digestive tract. For one, fiber serves as an important laxative. Without enough fiber in the diet, a person may have a hard time going to the bathroom on a regular schedule. Insoluble fiber helps with colon health by decreasing the time waste spends in the colon itself. It also helps to trap carcinogens within the stool and keep them out of the colon, thus reducing the risk of colon cancer. Soluble fiber, on the other hand, helps to reduce cholesterol levels.

The average American today eats about eleven grams of fiber a day. The National Cancer institute suggests that the number be increased to between twenty five and thirty grams daily. The best way to get that bigger number? Eat more fruits and vegetables.